¨¨^-/^%##@                                          @##%^/-^¨¨
¨¨¨^-/^%##                                          ##%^/-^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^-/^%#                                          #%^/-^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^-/^%##                                          ##%^/-^¨¨¨
¨¨^-/^%##@                                          @##%^/-^¨¨
¨^-/^%##@#             #¨¨¨--------¨¨¨#             #@##%^/-^¨
¨¨^-/^%##@     ####¨-- fermi's paradox --¨####      @##%^/-^¨¨
¨¨¨^-/^%##             #¨¨¨--------¨¨¨#             ##%^/-^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^-/^%#                                          #%^/-^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^-/^%## on earth  (the planet  where  i  live) a ##%^/-^¨¨¨
¨¨^-/^%##@ lot of  us  have antennas  on our houses @##%^/-^¨¨
¨^-/^%##@# or  balconies,   we  have   built  large #@##%^/-^¨
¨¨^-/^%##@ antennas for  larger  bandwith, we  have @##%^/-^¨¨
¨¨¨^-/^%##     build specialized antennaes for      ##%^/-^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^-/^%#    specific wavelengths (and sent them   #%^/-^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^-/^%## into orbit), we've built  large  as fuck ##%^/-^¨¨¨
¨¨^-/^%##@              antenna arrays              @##%^/-^¨¨
¨^-/^%##@# we've virtually built  an antenna with a #@##%^/-^¨
¨¨^-/^%##@         dish as large as earth.          @##%^/-^¨¨
¨¨¨^-/^%##                                          ##%^/-^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^-/^%# we've learned about our  position in the #%^/-^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^-/^%##     solar system, our solar systems      ##%^/-^¨¨¨
¨¨^-/^%##@ placement  in   the   galaxy,  and   our @##%^/-^¨¨
¨^-/^%##@# galaxys placement  in the local cluster, #@##%^/-^¨
¨¨^-/^%##@ and -our-  local clusters place  in  the @##%^/-^¨¨
¨¨¨^-/^%##          grand scheme of things          ##%^/-^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^-/^%#                                          #%^/-^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^-/^%## and  we're  moving  around  the  sun  at ##%^/-^¨¨¨
¨¨^-/^%##@ velocity and the suns moving around  the @##%^/-^¨¨
¨^-/^%##@# center of  the galaxy  at  velocity  and #@##%^/-^¨
¨¨^-/^%##@ the  galaxy is  moving toward  andromeda @##%^/-^¨¨
¨¨¨^-/^%##   and we're both moving anticlockwise    ##%^/-^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^-/^%# around the  galaxy. and we as a  species #%^/-^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^-/^%## have learned to take all that in account ##%^/-^¨¨¨
¨¨^-/^%##@                                          @##%^/-^¨¨
¨^-/^%##@# and despite  all this,  despite all  our #@##%^/-^¨
¨¨^-/^%##@   (cliche) beaming of fucking stellar    @##%^/-^¨¨
¨¨¨^-/^%## radio  programmes  out in  fucking space ##%^/-^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^-/^%# at  the speed  of  light  (light is  our #%^/-^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^-/^%##  medium! goodspeed you, black emperor!), ##%^/-^¨¨¨
¨¨^-/^%##@      despite ghosts helping and the      @##%^/-^¨¨
¨^-/^%##@#     collective consciousness lowpass     #@##%^/-^¨
¨¨^-/^%##@   filtering, despite our very obvious    @##%^/-^¨¨
¨¨¨^-/^%## beaming  of all  our  secrets  in  every ##%^/-^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^-/^%#          direction known to us,          #%^/-^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^-/^%##                                          ##%^/-^¨¨¨
¨¨^-/^%##@ no    ¨   one   ¨    has    ¨   answered @##%^/-^¨¨
¨^-/^%##@#                                          #@##%^/-^¨
¨¨^-/^%##@             #¨¨¨--------¨¨¨#             @##%^/-^¨¨
¨¨¨^-/^%##     ####¨-- fermi's paradox --¨####      ##%^/-^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^-/^%#             #¨¨¨--------¨¨¨#             #%^/-^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^-/^%##                                          ##%^/-^¨¨¨
¨¨^-/^%##@              so why is that?             @##%^/-^¨¨
¨^-/^%##@#                                          #@##%^/-^¨
¨¨^-/^%##@ most  opponents  to  intelligent life in @##%^/-^¨¨
¨¨¨^-/^%## the universe say  it's because  you need ##%^/-^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^-/^%# a  class  one-or-the-other star  and the #%^/-^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^-/^%## planet  needs  to  be  at  a  see-and-so ##%^/-^¨¨¨
¨¨^-/^%##@ distance  away from the star (like there @##%^/-^¨¨
¨^-/^%##@#           has to be a planet!)           #@##%^/-^¨
¨¨^-/^%##@                                          @##%^/-^¨¨
¨¨¨^-/^%## but   really  isn't   that  keeping  the ##%^/-^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^-/^%#      definition of life really lax?      #%^/-^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^-/^%##                                          ##%^/-^¨¨¨
¨¨^-/^%##@ i  think everyone agrees that we have no @##%^/-^¨¨
¨^-/^%##@# idea what  we're doing (and it  probably #@##%^/-^¨
¨¨^-/^%##@                  shows)                  @##%^/-^¨¨
¨¨¨^-/^%##                                          ##%^/-^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^-/^%#             #¨¨¨--------¨¨¨#             #%^/-^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^-/^%##      ####¨-- fermi's paradox --¨####     ##%^/-^¨¨¨
¨¨^-/^%##@             #¨¨¨--------¨¨¨#             @##%^/-^¨¨
¨^-/^%##@#                                          #@##%^/-^¨
¨¨^-/^%##@ i'm  gonna go  smoke my third  cigarette @##%^/-^¨¨
¨¨¨^-/^%## this year and  try to  snatch some beers ##%^/-^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨^-/^%#        from the local beer thing         #%^/-^¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨^-/^%##                                          ##%^/-^¨¨¨
¨¨^-/^%##@                                          @##%^/-^¨¨
¨^-/^%##@#                                          #@##%^/-^¨
¨¨^-/^%##@                                          @##%^/-^¨¨
¨¨¨^-/^%##                                          ##%^/-^¨¨¨